Hard Knocks for Joe Cocker

08/30/2011
. Joe Cocker will release his brand new album, "Hard Knocks" on November 22 via his new label 429 Records. Here is what they had to say about it:

"Hard Knocks" is a collection of 9 all new songs plus a cover version of the Dixie Chicks' "I Hope." Produced by Matt Serletic (Matchbox 20, Carlos Santana), "Hard Knocks" has the timeless "Cocker" sound fusing soul, pop and rhytm and blues into an undeniably infectious mix of a singularly unique contemporary style.

The recording sessions took place in Serletic's own Emblem studios in Los Angeles involving a host of acclaimed musicians like Ray Parker Jr., Tim Pierce and Joel Shearer on guitar, Josh Freese, Matt Chamberlain and Dorian Crozier on drums, Chris Chaney on bass and Jamie Muhoberac on keyboards. The songs were mixed by Chris Lord-Alge and mastered by Bob Ludwig. Songwriters Kara Dioguardi of recent American Idol fame and Marc Broussard have contributed songs to the collection.

Says Cocker, "I don't really know what you would call this album: 'rock/pop'? It's a little more pop than I've been into for quite a while so it would scare me sometimes. I would do the basic tracks and then Matt would go away and do some of these overdubs and he had all these electronic things on there. It was sometimes like 'Oh, my god!'. But I wanted to work with Matt very much. And I always knew what kind of record we would be making."

Track listing:

1) Hard Knocks
2) Get On
3) Unforgiven
4) The Fall
5) So It Goes
6) Runaway Train
7) Stay The Same
8) Thankful
9) So
10) I Hope